Hong Jun-pyo 'heartbroken' over heavy sentences for soldiers who followed martial law orders

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo said Thursday that "excessive punishment could bring about the collapse of the country's criminal justice system."

Hong, a former prosecutor, made the remarks in a Facebook post, saying he was "truly heartbroken" to see soldiers handed heavy sentences of up to 30 years and taken into custody in court on charges of participating in insurrection.

"They did not side with the insurrection — they simply followed orders," he wrote. "Is it right to brand as insurrectionists those whose very lives depend on obeying commands?"

Hong questioned whether it was not possible to "punish only the handful of soldiers who planned and carried out the martial law declaration, and let the rest go with a discharge." He added, "What soldier will now follow the military chain of command going forward?"

He also raised the question of how far a subordinate's right to scrutinize a superior's orders should extend, asking whether the military would still be able to move in unison during a national crisis.

Hong drew a historical parallel, noting that excessive punishment was among the reasons the Qin dynasty — the first to unify China — collapsed within 32 years. He closed by describing the start of the holiday weekend as a "heartbreaking afternoon" spent revisiting an old soldier's song.